The Changing Years
by cinnamon108
Summary: In June of 1978 five friends leave school for the last time. 3 years and 4 months later two of them are dead, one is a traitor, one is imprisoned and the other is alone. This is their story. On Hiatus
1. Chapter 1 June 1978

**Disclaimer: I only own the storyline, the characters and surrounding all belong to J.K. Rowling. **

**A/N: This is my first attempt at a long multi-chapter story. I'm not yet sure exactly how long it will be, I'll attempt to update regularly. Please leave any and all feedback, it's all very much appreciated. **

The Changing Years

_Chapter One_

_June 1978_

A tall boy with untidy black hair strode purposefully towards the large lake situated within the sprawling grounds of Hogwarts. Despite it being the typically warm month of June there was an unnatural chill in the air which caused the boy to hug his billowing robes closer to his body. He could already spy four people waiting at his destination. A slim girl stood talking quietly to an equally slim boy, as she shook her head in emphatic agreement the sun caught the vibrant red of her hair and briefly shone a bright halo around her head. The slim boy had his hands thrust into the pockets of his robe as he spoke earnestly; although the boy looked as though one good wind would blow him away he seemed unconcerned by the cold. Two other boys were stood apart from the conversing couple. One appeared to have a handful of stones and was skimming them across the still water with alarming aggression, his black hair gleaming in the sun. The other boy was easily distinguishable from his companions as he was shorter than the other three and still had a distinct aura of puppy fat. He stood between the talking couple and solitary male as if unsure of what was expected of him and kept shuffling uncertainly from foot to foot.

As James Potter neared his four companions his eye couldn't help noticing the waving branches of a familiar tree in the distance. A wistful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he remembered a host of good and bad memories and he felt his spirits lift a little as he approached his closest friends. It was the slim boy who noticed him first; Remus Lupin characteristically said nothing at the arrival of his friend but just smiled slightly and raised a hand. Remus had always been the quieter one out of the group, where the others would instantly engulf any friend in effusive welcomes designed to make the person feel like a member of long-lost family Remus would simply smile as though he was content just to see them again.

As Lily Evans realised that her companion wasn't giving her the level of attention she had been enjoying previously she looked around to see the source of his distraction. As her eyes fell on the tall scruffy-haired figure of James Potter her face spontaneously lit up and she offered him a warm smile. If James was feeling poetic he would say that when Lilly Evans smiled it chased the never-ending clouds away but as always he found himself completely without words. He felt himself smile back and was sure he probably looked as far as he could from cool but couldn't bring himself to care. He quickly sped up and opened his arms, marvelling at the girl who moulded herself to him and held on as though she wouldn't let go. For a moment James just closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh smell of his girlfriends' flame-coloured hair. After a minute he felt Lilly pull slightly away.

"Hi," She whispered, a smile playing around her lips.

"Hi," James whispered back fighting to keep a goofy smile at bay. Pulling his girl towards him again he planted a tender kiss on her forehead before reluctantly letting go. Remus was watching the two of them with an amused smile.

"If you've quite finished...?" He quirked one eyebrow then quickly dodged a friendly punch aimed towards his arm. Though meant in jest a friendly punch from James often meant a dead arm for the recipient – something Remus had learnt the hard way over the past seven years. The trio walked towards the lakes edge and the other two boys already awaiting them.

"Padfoot!" James let go of Lillys hand and rushed ahead, she watched with amusement as the two boys underwent their complicated greeting ritual which seemed to involve an inordinate amount of wrestling and the occasional slap. Peter Pettigrew sidled up beside the tall redhead and Remus and watched the two boys enviously, his watery eyes drinking in every detail. For his part Remus seemed extremely uninterested in his two laughing friends and was instead watching the giant squid swirl around in the lilies.

"Lily!" Sirius 'Padfoot' Black came striding confidently up, "Looking ravishing as ever." The handsome young man gave her a wink as he mock-bowed before her and gave her hand a very thorough kiss. Lily bit back a laugh as James frowned and opened his mouth, apparently ready to jump in and defend her honour, however Lily got there first:  


"Such a charmer Black, I wish I could say the same about you though – you look absolutely awful. Living away from home is obviously disagreeing with you." Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

"Oh yes, I don't know how I'm coping without my daily dose of insults and violence – I'm wasting away." He said with the broad grin of someone who knew his life was going well. James laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder – apparently forgiving his previous behaviour.

"Yup, I don't think a day goes by when Padfoot here doesn't pine and yearn for the comforts of home... evil portraits on the walls... a murderous house-elf patrolling the halls... constant scheming." James sat himself on the grass, closely followed by the other three, "to be honest I don't know why he doesn't just go back."

"Wellll," Sirius appeared to deliberate, "I would do but it would just be such an insult to my dear old Uncle Alphard – especially after getting blasted off the precious tapestry."

"Tapestry?" Lily raised her eyebrows in question. She'd already heard the story of Sirius' family, how it was steeped in dark arts and blood-mania. She'd seen Sirius return to Hogwarts from visits home practically shaking from the stress of biting his tongue until it had finally come to a head two summers ago and he'd fled to James' house for sanctuary. After that it hadn't been long before an Uncle showing a rare familial sympathy for his nephew's plight had come to the rescue with enough money for Sirius to live comfortably for a few years.

Sirius snorted although his eyes held little humour.

"The Black family tapestry – the entire Black family tree on show for everyone to see." He mindlessly picked up some stones and held them in his hand. "They leave it on the wall just to show everyone how pure their blood really is, anyone who doesn't fit in with the Black family values gets blasted off." He skimmed a stone across the water and watched it bounce dispassionately. "My cousin went the other year for marrying a muggle and I went for not upholding the reputation of the 'ancient and most noble house of Black'" He stated the last part with a humourless smile then softened at the sight of Lily's shocked expression. "It's really not that big a deal, I'm happy to be out of there. You'd be too if you had to put up with all their crap for the past 18 years, pure blood this and pure blood that, they'd have been trying to marry me off by now." James laughed out loud at this.

"Oh yes, a nice pure-blood marriage - maybe that will fix the family relations." He pretended to think for a minute. "Let's see... how about the Weasley's? Nice pure bloods, you can trace them back generations there's always Weasley's popping up all over the place."

Lily shared a bemused look with Remus as Sirius and James both fell about laughing. Despite having been a member of the wizarding community for the past 7 years she still keenly felt the moments where she became aware that she hadn't been born and bred a wizard like James or Sirius. Although she could perform as well as the best of them she still remained largely unaware of many of the complicated connections and undercurrents of wizarding society – although she was rapidly learning.

Meanwhile Sirius was wiping the tears from his eyes: "Oh yes the Weasley's I can just see that, only the biggest group of blood-traitors in the known wizarding world. I'd be almost tempted if they weren't all male or dotty." He snorted again, "I actually have a feeling that one of my distant, great ten times removed cousins was actually disowned for marrying a Weasley so maybe I wouldn't go for that idea – I'd prefer to be original." He threw his final stone in the water and relaxed back down on his elbows. The group lapsed into a comfortable silence for a moment before it was broken by a sigh from Lupin.

"I can't believe it's all over." He gazed pensively over the lake and brought his knees up to his chest. Peter nodded his head in agreement but said nothing. Remus looked over at his other two friends. "I expect you'll be all right Padfoot – and you Prongs. You've both got good places to go and you'll have done well on your exams."

"Well no offence Moony," James shot back, "But I don't think you're going to have done badly either."

"Especially with that revision timetable," Sirius snorted, "how many hours was it a day? 15?"

Remus smiled wistfully, "Yeah but that doesn't exactly matter for me now does it?"

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, fixing Lupin with a stare.

"He means that no-one's going to want to hire him." Sirius said shrewdly, "I thought you'd got over moping around on us." He chucked a small stone which bounced off Lupins knee. Remus shifted uneasily.

"Well it's all very well when I'm with you guys," He started, "But who's going to want to take a chance on me when they find out that I'm... that I have to... that I've got..."

"A furry little problem?" James supplied helpfully, Remus snorted with laughter. Lily shifted uncomfortably, she'd found out about Remus' _Condition, _as she liked to think of it, earlier in the year. Since then she had sought to further her understanding and nip any prejudices in the bud but she still found it a difficult subject to joke about without the many years of practise the Marauders had gone through.

"I wouldn't be able to keep it hidden." Remus carried on in an uncharacteristic burst of honesty, "I couldn't with you lot, besides there's laws keeping people like me from being a 'danger' to anyone else." His tone stayed light-hearted but he kept his eyes fixed on the frayed edges of his robes.

"You can still try though." James supplied, "There's nothing to stop you."

"I know," Lupin answered quietly, "but I'm starting to think I should just fight."

The group suddenly descended into a heavy silence, Lily hugged her knees tightly to her chest. They'd all heard the rumours and seen the disappearances in the papers. There were deadly whispers in the air of death and destruction and of a new dawn for wizarding kind. It gave Lilly the chills to watch the changes that were already beginning to occur even within the safety of Hogwarts itself. She'd already watched her closest childhood friend fall and become trapped within the dangerous shifting tide and it scared her more than she liked to admit.

"I've been thinking that too." It was Sirius who broke the silence, he glowered across the lake from under a heavy brow. "I've seen what their thinking and what their attitudes are." He clenched his fists firmly, "I used to sit at the table with _her _and listen to her go on about the need to ensure the pure line and the importance of wizard supremacy." His friends didn't need to ask who _she _was, many of the latest rumours coming in from around the country involved Bellatrix – it was said she was the closest servant of _you-know-who_.

"What about work?" Lily asked, more for something to say than a real desire to know. Sirius raised an amused eyebrow.

"Well what with good old Uncle Alphard I don't actually have much need for a job at the moment." He smirked, "and I'd much rather be out there teaching some of them a lesson."

"I feel the same." Lupin said dryly, "Although I'm sure I'll have to turn down so many wonderful job offers – maybe I could become a muggle shampoo model." The group all broke into laughter, it'd long been a running joke that the young werewolf's hair grew particularly thick and shiny around full moon. After accidently coming across a particular muggle advert James and Sirius had enjoyed giving Remus ample supplies of L'Oreal shampoo for each birthday and Christmas – with each card containing the immortal line "because you're worth it".

"What about you Prongs?" Peter burst out suddenly, shifting worriedly in his seat, "What are you going to do?" James leant forwards and clasped his hands together, staring across the water with a serious look on his face.

"Well, I don't need money I've got plenty of that." He shared a quick glance with Lily who gave him a reassuring smile. Since the death of his Father to natural causes earlier in the year James had slowly been taking over his family finances as his Mother grew weaker. The depth of his maturity had often stunned Lily as she'd watched James transition from a cocksure boy to a responsible man over the space of the last year. James sighed and continued. "I think you're right Remus, I could get a job without even thinking about it but what's the point if there's no future." Again James shared a glance with Lily who felt her heart skip in her chest. James gave her a quick smile, "I think I'd rather fight."

"Me too," Lily supplied quietly, she snaked her hand towards James only to find his palm meeting hers halfway. They entwined their hands together instinctively.

"What about you Wormtail?" Sirius broke the silence, "What are you going to do?" Peter glanced around uneasily at the other four.

"I guess if you guys are all going to then I'll fight too." He supplied. Lily frowned slightly at this but the other three Marauders stayed quiet, she supposed they were used to Peter's ways.

"I guess we should go pack." She eventually said, letting go of James' hand with reluctance. "The train's leaving soon." The other four murmured agreements and the group stood up collectively. Lily glanced at James and Sirius and sensed they had more they wanted to say to each other. She gently chivvied the other two into walking with her and left the two original Marauders behind.

James watched the girl he loved walk towards the castle with two of his best friends.

"So what do you think you'll do now?" Sirius asked, "With Lily I mean." James shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't know, ask her to come live with me I guess," He shot a glance at his best friend, "Maybe ask her for more than that." Sirius' brows shot up.

"What you mean...?" He trailed off as James nodded slowly, "Bloody hell." He let out a big gush of air. "Well, good luck. I mean if it's going to be anyone... if anyone's going to make it, it's going to be you two."

James smiled his thanks and the two friends slowly set off towards the castle.

"You know it's not going to be easy for you." Sirius broke the silence. James glanced towards his friend but his face was unreadable. "I mean because of your status." Sirius continued, "You're a pure-blood from a long line of pure bloods."

"Yeah... so." James looked at his feet.

"So, he's going to want you." Sirius suddenly caught James' eye, "He's going to try and get you on-side." James' jaw set.

"I'd like to see him try, I'm not like them." He said with venom in his voice, "You know, Avery, Wilkes, _Snivellus._" The last name was said with pure hate, "I'd rather die than be like them, I don't care what he offers."

"I know mate," Sirius spoke calmly, "but you have to be careful. You know what I mean – she's muggle-born. Now it doesn't matter to you and it doesn't matter to me but there are people out there who it will matter to and you don't want to attract their attention."

"I won't." James' eyes were set on the red hair disappearing through the doors of Hogwarts. "I'd die before letting any one of them harm a single hair on her head." Sirius looked across at the conviction in his friends voice.

"We all would," He clapped a friendly hand on James' shoulder, "let's just hope none of us ever have to." With that the two friends walked towards their final moments in the dorm they'd shared for the last seven years and their new lives.

_End of Chapter One_


	2. Chapter 2 July 1978

**Disclaimer: I only own the storyline, the characters and surrounding all belong to J.K. Rowling. **

**A/N: This chapter heralds the start of some more action (hopefully!) and the start of things to come. Hopefully you'll enjoy, as always please leave feedback if you can. Thank you **

The Changing Years

_Chapter Two_

_July 1978_

James Potter walked slowly up the winding wooden staircase. He ran his hand along the smooth banister idly remembering the times he'd exuberantly slid down it as a young wizard. But it would be no more. James tugged at the collar of his dress robes, he felt uncomfortable in their stiffness and longed to change back into his more normal clothing. The sound of softly talking voices followed him as he walked up towards the rooms of his childhood.

The upstairs hallway was quiet, the voices from downstairs absorbed into the walls and floor. James ignored his childhood room, it was unimportant now; instead he headed toward the end of the corridor and the largest upstairs room. The chaser gently pushed open the wooden door and stepped quietly into his parents' bedroom. The west-facing room was bathed in afternoon sunshine and a slight breeze crept through the propped open window. The room was large with an ornate double bed at its centre. A dresser filled with pictures stood alongside one wall underneath a large mirror. A vanity stood on the other side of the room next to a small piano, James felt tears smart in his eyes. As a small boy he could remember creeping out of bed at night and hiding just outside his parents' bedroom in order to hear his mother play while his father got ready for bed.

James sat on the bed and brushed his hand over the silk coverlet. The air still smelt like his Mother and a picture of his Father sat on a table by her side of the bed. James swallowed heavily, all of a sudden he felt very alone. It had only been a matter of weeks since he had graduated from Hogwarts but it already felt much longer. He was glad his Mother had lived to see him leave despite her weakened state.

After leaving Hogwarts James and Lily had both moved back into his family home to care for his Mother. She had been ill for the past year but had battled bravely on after the death of his Father determined to see her son leave school and pass into the adult world. She had truly been a remarkable woman, James recalled the many evenings spent he and Lily spent listening to his Mother gently reminisce over her long life. He was glad his Mother had got to meet Lily at least.

James could feel his strength waning. He had stayed strong after his Mother finally slipped away managing to organise the funeral and sort the finances. He had been shocked when he realised that he actually had no need to work. In his more bitter moments he realised that he would give it all up to spend one more shining day of peace with his parents. James turned and buried his face in his Mothers softly scented pillow. It was too much, he thought, he was just 18 so what was he supposed to do now without his parents to guide him?

James barely noticed when the hot tears began to slip down his face. He desperately tried to hold it back but he couldn't stop himself from thinking of the memories he had yet to make. A wedding with no proud parents making a toast, a child without grandparents. All of a sudden a lifetime seemed a very long time to go without them.

The door to the room creaked open and James sat up in time to watch his best friend and the girl he loved walk into the bedroom.

"We thought you might be up here." Lily came and sat on the edge of the bed as James dried his eyes, "We were worried."

Sirius tactfully studied the piano as Lily reached across and brushed a tear from James' cheek. Sirius had found it hard to support his friend over the past few weeks. He had always felt close to the Potters and regarded James as the brother he wished he'd had. It had been hard watching his friend go through the motions of saying goodbye first to his Father and now to his Mother. Sirius had done all he could and had quickly offered to deliver the eulogy at the funeral but there was only so much that could be said to ease the grief his friend was suffering.

"It's just strange." James put an arm around the redhead and stared out the window. "Every now and then I'm just waiting to hear them again and then I realise that I won't, that they're really not coming back." He took a deep shaky breath. "I mean, what do you do without your parents?" He looked up and caught the watery gaze of Sirius.

"You turn to us," Sirius supplied gruffly, "and we'll look out for you." James smiled shakily and nodded his thanks. Sirius cleared his throat, "I'll be downstairs, someone's got to stop Peter from eating the entire buffet." James grinned.

"And that someone is always you," He reminded, "Just don't tell him to go on a diet again, I couldn't face the tears." Sirius let out a quick huff of amusement and turned to go.

"Oh and Padfoot," James stopped the handsome man in his tracks, "Tell Remus he can have the posh chocolates on top of the dresser downstairs, it's probably been torturing him all afternoon." Sirius grinned and left the room. The young couple listened to his footsteps bound down the staircase followed by a bellow of:

"Wormtail if you've eaten all the sausages I'm throwing you out!"

Lily snickered and huddled closer to her boyfriend. James suddenly felt his heart pound in his chest.

"You know," He tried to sound casual, "I have quite a bit of money now." Lily burst out laughing.

"It's ok, you don't need to convince me anymore – I'm already your girlfriend." She teased, James swatted her arm playfully.

"No I mean you don't have to go back to your parents. I'm going to buy somewhere and I want you to come live with me." He said hurriedly, looking at the floor. There were a few beats silence as he let the news sink in before risking a glance at the red-heads pretty face. She looked shell-shocked but quickly recovered and gave him a beaming smile.

"I'd love to." She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. James dropped a kiss on the top of her head and smiled.

The next month seemed to pass rapidly. After the mourners and well-wishers had dispersed James quickly set to selling his family home and purchasing a new home for himself and Lily. The days passed in a haze of boxing up the couple's belongings including a less than pleasant visit to Lily's parental home where her sister Petunia made a point of snootily leaving the house to see her chubby new boyfriend as soon as they arrived. Mostly though the days were fun although punctuated by increasingly grim news delivered by Sirius, Remus and more occasionally Peter. During one memorable shared afternoon Lily, Remus and James cleared James' old school trunk and found – among other things – several singular unwashed socks and a small tub of Belch Powder which had evidently matured in age and only required slight inhalation to have the three of them burping for three hours before Remus remembered the counter-spell. Lily also had to wrestle one of the stinking socks off of James who remained convinced that it would only take about another month for it to be able to talk. He then sulked for half an hour after she finally got it off him and told him in no uncertain terms that if one of his socks started talking she would leave, no matter polite it was.

Remus was beginning to look steadily shabbier after leaving Hogwarts and Lily had already devoted several hours to patching up some of his meagre wardrobe. It secretly pained James to see his friend so low and he and Sirius spent several hours plotting how to help the werewolf without hurting his pride. However, it wasn't until rumours of a secret society founded by Dumbledore to help in the fight against Voldemort reached their ears that Remus finally began to perk up. Over dinner one warm evening in James and Lily's new house the group of five talked about joining the so-called "Order of the Phoenix". James and Sirius both had no worries about money and no need to work and so quickly decided to join as soon as the opportunity arose. Lily also supported the idea of joining almost immediately although she was forced to spend many hours explaining to James just why his "precious flower" should be allowed to fight with the big boys. Eventually it was only when she threatened him to a dual to prove her skills that he backed down – Lily had a fearsome reputation for casting the furnunculus hex – several noisy third years disturbing the common room during exam time in the groups 7th year had been forced to report to the infirmary for the removal of boils from a very sensitive place. Remus had more money worries than the rest of the group but remained quietly determined to fight, he privately confided in Lily that without the order he doubted he would find a place in the world anyway with his lycanthropy. Peter was the most unsure of the group and voiced the most concerns though these were quickly – and loudly – shot down by James and Sirius. Eventually it was decided that James –as ex-Head Boy – would approach Dumbledore on behalf of the group to request permission to join the order. It was a slightly more sober and adult group of friends who bade farewell to one another that evening.

As Peter, Sirius and James talked quietly at the front gate Lily took the opportunity to catch Lupin alone.

"So how are you?" She asked softly, "Really?" Remus looked taken aback at the question and appeared to be formulating a generic response but stopped at the look the redhead gave him. He sighed and ran a hand through hair that was already sporting more grey than a young man should have.

"Ok," He replied, he smiled at the sceptical look Lily gave him. "Honestly, ok, as ok as I can be anyway. This isn't a good time for any of us in the wizarding society really." He thrust his hands in his pockets and gazed at his carefree friends, "It's only just begun, you can feel it in the air." Lily shuddered and wrapped her arms closer around herself.

"Do you think it'll help? The order?" She asked tremulously. Remus smiled at her and briefly wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"I think so." He gazed up at the stars beginning to shine through the twilight sky. "I'd like to say I tried anyway, and who knows maybe one day people will look back and see that a werewolf helped defeat a dark wizard – even in only a small way." He smiled wistfully, "That should be worth fighting for." Lily nodded her agreement and squeezed her friends shoulder. On seeing James staring none-too-subtly at the two of them Remus quickly took his arm from around the redheads shoulder, prompting a chuckle.

Remus joined Sirius and Peter in waving farewell to the young couple before swiftly apparating. James and Lily quickly went back inside – the times were too dangerous for anyone to linger in doorways.

The next morning dawned bright as James and Lily apparated to just outside Hogsmeade. They had arranged to meet Dumbledore outside the Hogs Head for a 'stroll'. They took their time walking into the village, hoping to look like any other couple casually perusing the scenery.

They had only travelled about half the distance towards the village when a strange chill descended in the air. The couple were instantly on alert, wand in hand. James automatically pushed Lily behind him and she quickly pushed her back against his, scouting out the path behind them. They stood still for a moment, unable to explain the pounding of their hearts.

Lily stood so quietly she could hear each breath she took echoing in her ears. She felt so helpless, so useless. She was stranded, panic washed over here, she was stranded she knew it! There was no way out and she was going to die next to the man she loved. She was too useless to fight. Lily found herself fighting back tears. A strange mist swirled in front of their faces and Lily despaired at the lack of vision. James quickly reached his free hand around to grasp hers.

"Dementors," He muttered quietly, squeezing her hand for extra reassurance. Lily swallowed and nodded, licking her dry lips she closed her eyes and concentrated hard on the feel of James' hand in hers and tried hard to send her despairing feelings back where they belonged._ Their new home... fighting for the future... their future... their family... _Lily raised her wand arm and with more confidence than she felt said:

"Expecto Patronum!" A doe burst from the end of her wand and cantered in a circle around where the couple stood. Lily instantly felt the benefits of the doe's light and relaxed enough to squeeze James' hand back.

A cruel high laugh rent the air around them. Lily's heart leapt to her throat and beat a tattoo against her larynx. She stiffened in fear, _No, Oh god no...  
_

"Impressive." The hooded figure approached through the mist and banished the bright doe with a flick of its wand. A thrill of fear went through the couple as they turned to face the stranger. Lily felt a chill go down her back as she saw the gleam of red eyes under the hood. Her hand trembled slightly inside the warm grip of James but she held firm, her wand arm trained on the figure.

The laugh sounded again, it sounded cruel and devoid of warmth.

"So courageous, true Gryffindors." The tone was mocking. A hand with impossibly long pale fingers reached up and pushed back the dark hood covering the strangers face. James' hand tightened around Lily's as the bald, white head was revealed. Lily felt a shudder of revulsion entwined with fear run through her body as she took in the flat expressionless face of Lord Voldemort.

_To be continued_


	3. Chapter 3 July 1978

**Disclaimer: I only own the storyline, the characters and surrounding all belong to J.K. Rowling. **

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated! Horrible exams got in the way. I hope these two chapters make up for it! **

The Changing Years

_Chapter Three_

_July 1978_

"What do you want from us?" James said calmly, Lily marvelled at the steadiness of his voice even as his hand gripped hers ever tighter.

"Such bravery," The dark wizard hissed, his thin lips twisted into a cruel smile, "just as I'd been expecting."

"Why...?" James begun, he was cut off as Voldemort casually waved his wand, striking the young man dumb, Lily felt herself go almost numb with fear.

"You are not here to speak." The thin high voice continued. "I am here to offer you one chance and one chance only. The dark lord does not give such opportunities lightly." The red eyes gazed at them coolly. "Join me," Voldemort commanded, "Join me as I bring us into a new era of wizarding supremacy untainted by the blood of the unworthy." He fixed James in his stare. "You will not find the dark lord ungracious. There will be certain... privileges involved, I will allow you to keep this mudblood at your side." Voldemorts lip curled as he looked Lily up and down, "Of course, if you refuse." Here his lips curled into a smile devoid of feeling, "She will die."

Lily trembled and squeezed James' hand so hard she was sure it was hurting. Voldemort seemed to sense her increase in fear and a look of triumph chased across his flat features. He raised his wand arm and removed the silencing spell on James.

"So what do you say wizard?" Voldemort hissed dangerously, "will you join your pure-blood brothers in the fight or will you remain on the side of the unworthy and the tainted."

"They are not my brothers." James' voice shook, "I would never join you." He stared defiantly at the Dark Wizard as his lip curled.

"Such a shame." Voldemort's voice spoke of despair, "I wanted to spill as little pure-blood as possible." His eyes glittered dangerously, "But I see you give me no option."

Lily heard a twig crack to her side and felt her heart jump into her throat. The young couple glanced at each other and set their mouths determinedly. Lily kept her gaze on James, if she was about to die she refused to let the leering face of the most evil wizard of all time be the last thing she saw.

The couple just about managed to make out several dark forms in masks approaching them before the first spells were cast. Pointing their wands in opposite directions the two lovers quickly shouted.

"Protego!" The combined force of their shield charms ensured the jets of green and red light sparked away and burnt holes in the ground near their feet. Lily carried on casting shield charm after shield charm as James spun and shot curses at the four masked figures surrounding them. She vaguely saw one fall to a body-bind curse and took advantage of the confusion to hit another with a stunner but there were still two left and above that the high laughter of the dark wizard still rang out and she had the awful feeling that he was just toying with them. Despair threatened to overcome the redhead and she struggled to keep her focus as another jet of light shot perilously close to her left shoulder and would have hit her had James not pushed her in time. Desperately holding onto her courage Lily duelled with the shorter of the two deatheaters but he was too experienced compared to an 18 year old witch just out of school and a narrowly missed curse shot past her leg tearing her robes and leaving a jagged open wound. She sent a stunner his way which he easily deflected.

"Enough." The high voice cut through the battle easily. The two deatheaters backed away leaving James and Lily panting and confused. Before Lily could gather her thoughts together she heard the high cry of:

"_Crucio!" _Lily watched in horror as the jet of light hit James square in the chest. He crumpled to the ground, his legs and arms twisting violently as he fought to avoid the agonising pain ripping through his body. Lily could hear his screams mingling with a voice desperately pleading for mercy that she barely recognised as her own. She tried but couldn't tear her eyes away from the horrific sight of her soul mate writhing in agony, hot tears spilled down her face and just as she thought she couldn't take anymore the spell ceased.

Sobbing Lily ran to James' side and gathered his head on her lap, barely caring about the evil wizard and his two helpers watching dispassionately. She pushed the sweat soaked hair off the young man's forehead and pressed it to her lips, her salty tears mixing with his.

"I give you one more chance." Voldemort's hiss interrupted her anguish. "Join me."

Shaking James pushed Lily's hands away. Ignoring her cries he agonisingly pushed himself to his feet, biting his lip at the pain still radiating through his body. With tremors still pulsating through his body the young man turned to face the evil wizard, Lily quickly sprang back to his side, fighting to control her emotions. James breathed heavily and licked his lips where he had bitten them before standing tall.

"No," His voice rasped, "I won't join you."

Voldemort's eyes flared in anger.

"In that case you leave me no choice." He reached out a pale hand. To her horror Lily watched as a cloaked faceless creature glided out of the wood. The chill in the air grew heavier and Lily felt rooted to the spot with despair. Voldemort curled his lips in a cruel imitation of a smile. "I will keep your bodies as examples of what happens to those who defy me." His gaze fixed on the redhead, "and as punishment for your insolence James Potter, the kiss will first be administrated to the mudblood."

"No!" James shouted in vain as one deatheater quickly cast a rope which wrapped around his body and sent him crashing back to the ground as the other came and bodily wrenched Lily towards the waiting creature. She struggled as viciously as she could against the sturdy man's strength as he roughly pulled her to the waiting dementor. Lily could faintly hear the taunting of school bullies from years gone by echoing in her head undercut by the sobs of her mother at her grandma's funeral. She screamed as she was thrown towards the creature, one rotten hand already reaching out towards her face. Somewhere underneath the sounds in her head she could hear James shouting but already it was being drowned out as the creature lowered its evil head towards her. Sobbing Lily closed her eyes.

Then suddenly the sounds ceased and Lily was dropped painfully to the floor. She could hear shouts and the air was once again filled with curses followed by the loud cracks of disapparition. The chill in 

the air faded and Lily heard footsteps running towards her followed by gentle hands touching her arms, hands, face and everywhere else. Confused she opened her eyes just in time to see a phoenix patronus glide over her head before vanishing into nothingness.

"Lily!" A voice was shouting her name, Lily turned her head to the side to meet the intense gaze of James Potter. He had a cut on his right temple and dirt across his face smeared by tear tracks and he nearly sobbed in relief as she looked at him. "Thank god." He scooped her up and pressed his lips to her forehead murmuring broken endearments.

"James..." Lily managed, then she was lost in his shoulder, sobbing brokenly.

"I thought..."

"There was nothing I could do, I was helpless watching... I didn't know what to do..."

"I just wanted it to stop... I couldn't bear... seeing you in pain..."

The couple clung to each other for what felt like an eternity before reluctantly breaking apart. James winced as he stood but reached and supported Lily and she eased herself up, hissing as she placed weight on her injured leg. Turning she met the kind face of Albus Dumbledore.

"Professor!" She gasped, Dumbledore smiled.

"I'm relieved to see you relatively unhurt Miss Evans." His bright blue gaze swept over her – taking in her tattered state. "I have sent a message to the castle, as long as you feel up to the journey the infirmary is waiting to receive you both." The couple nodded their thanks; Lily could feel exhaustion sweeping through her bones.

"Professor," James' voice still sounded raspy, "How did you know?"

"It was a fortunate accident, when you both failed to arrive at the agreed time I took it upon myself to walk some of the paths leading to Hogsmeade." Dumbledore looked suddenly serious, "You both 

fought extremely bravely, there aren't many people fresh out of school who could have done as well as the two of you." He smiled, "Take some time to rest but when you feel recuperated I suggest we talk about the matter that brought you here today."

The two ex-students merely nodded wearily. It was a long walk back to the castle but neither trusted their powers of apparition after such a shock. Lily's head whirled in turmoil, her thoughts going too fast for her to focus on just the one. Half-formed fears and worries expanded from her gut until all she could hear was the pounding of her heart in her ears. Just as she felt she was about to explode with feeling she felt a soft squeeze on her hand. Looking up she caught the gaze of James Potter.

"I would always choose you," His eyes were deadly serious, a sight not often seen. "You must know that, it's always you."

Lily didn't trust herself to answer, she swallowed heavily through the lump in her throat and raised James' hand to her lips, kissing his knuckles lightly. Arm in arm the two walked towards the castle.

_End of Chapter 3_


	4. Chapter 4 July 1978

**Disclaimer: I only own the storyline, the characters and surrounding all belong to J.K. Rowling. **

**A/N: Thank you for reading this far! As always any feedback is really appreciated. **

The Changing Years

_Chapter Four_

_July 1987_

Lily Evans tried to look nondescript, no easy task as the attack from Voldemort just a few days ago had left her feeling as if a large target was painted on her back. On her left James was apparently engrossed in a map of London, looking like any other visitor to the city trying to find his way around. Only Lily knew that what James held in his hands was no map, and it was about to change their lives forever.

The minutes ticked by with agonising slowness. Lily tried to hide her agitation with an enforced stretch and exaggerated yawn. She turned her face up to the sunlight and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on her breathing she felt the rays tickle her face. A throat clearing beside her brought her back to herself. James gave her a quick wink.

"It's time." He said quietly. Glancing quickly around he shook out the parchment and tapped it with his wand. Instantly the street map was transformed into just three lines of spidery handwriting. Lily quickly memorised it, her heart beating in her ears. Almost as soon as she finished reading the words vanished.

Something strange was happening in the cul-de-sac in front of them. Lily bit her lip as a brand new building came groaning into view, pushing in between the houses already there. James noticed the worried expression on her face and quickly grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"It's ok, no-one else can hear or see it. Only us, ok?" He smiled at her, she nodded quickly, ashamed at her irrational fear. Squaring her shoulders she gave James' hand a return squeeze.

"Now or never." She smiled briefly and the two of them approached the new door with caution.

They stepped into a tall, quiet hallway. A staircase loomed in front of them, a mass of shoes underneath it gave away its occupancy and a closed door stood on their right. The door opened and a figure stood in it. Lily just saw the outline of a tall figure before Sirius stepped forward.

"Siri... Sirius?" James sounded unsure, Lily followed his gaze and felt a jolt as she saw Sirius' wand trained on them.

"Sirius what's going on?" She asked with more confidence than she felt even as fear trickled down her spine. Sirius ignored her, his focus was on James.

"In our fourth year we were banned from going to Hogsmeade by Professor McGonagall." He said calmly, "Why?"

James suddenly blushed and Lily felt his hand shake. "What do you...?" He began.

"Why?" Sirius repeated, his dark eyes never leaving his friends face. Lily forgot her apprehension as James looked shame-facedly at the floor.

"She caught us with a copy of Cauldron Cuties, the bumper edition." He muttered at his shoes. Lily forced back a giggle as Sirius suddenly swung his attention to her.

"In our fifth year." He continued in the same calm tone, "You slapped James, Why?"

"He wiped my entire stack of History of Magic revision notes and replaced them with I Love James Potter Forever the night before our OWL exam." She replied evenly. If anything James looked even more red-faced.

Sirius lowered his wand and suddenly broke into a broad grin. It was at this point Lily noticed how tense he'd really been as he blew out a relieved breath. She smiled back at him, however she could feel James suddenly bristling with indignation.

"What the hell was all that about?!" He suddenly exploded, "Honestly Padfoot have you suddenly gone loopy or something??"

"That, Mr Potter," A familiar voice suddenly spoke in his ear, "Was your first lesson in being a part of this order."

James jumped and spun around, only just managing to bite back a curse. Professor McGonagall was regarding him impassively from the stairway.

"You can never be too careful." A new voice said from the doorway. James and Lily peered into the half-gloom. The July sunshine had apparently bypassed the Order headquarters and they were struggling to see clearly. A well built figure limped into view and approached them. Lily was first aware of his scars; the man's face looked like a map of where he had been. He wasn't tall but gave off the impression of immense strength and toughness, although he moved with a pronounced limp the young witch could tell that if needed he would be able to move with surprising quickness.

Stopping in front of them the man probed them intently with suspicious eyes.

"The name's Moody," he eventually barked, offering a hand. "Alastor Moody, and what your friend just did was show you that no-one can be trusted, not even friends , as you never know who could be in disguise." James and Lily both shook his gnarled hand a little timidly. Moody gave a short nod and turned back towards the kitchen, evidently expecting to be followed. "I've heard a lot about you two." He said gruffly as he stomped towards the doorway, "You've been given glowing recommendations, glowing. Not many could have faced you-know-who and survived, especially at your age. In different times I would have asked you if you wanted jobs." Sirius ducked behind Moody as he walked through the kitchen and gave the couple an excited smile.

"We had to answer questions too," He hissed, "And Moody said I should be the one to test you two, He's Auror Moody you know – he's practically famous! He's supposed to be the best dark wizard catcher there is." James Potter grinned back, evidently relieved at the release of the tension.

"I guessed you git." He gave Sirius a friendly punch, "But what did you have to ask about that for?! I bet there were other things!" Sirius gave a completely unrepentant grin.

"That was just the first thing to pop to mind." He said innocently. Lily chuckled, barely noticing they were entering the kitchen until she was hit by a wall of light and sound.

She stopped in the doorway, blinking as she adjusted to the noise and brightness. The kitchen was bright and cheerful compared to the gloomy hallway. Light streamed in through a large window highlighting what looked like a well used cooker. The various surfaces were covered in what appeared to be predominantly loaves of bread and mugs. The cupboard doors were also covered in various small brightly-coloured stickers. Lily gazed around the mass of people, after a couple of sweeps she spotted Remus Lupin sat at a large wooden table which took up one end of the room talking animatedly to a pretty dark-haired witch wearing a bright pink flower in her hair. Peter was spotted standing in a corner accepting a biscuit from a pleasant-looking woman with a round face. Sirius went over to join Peter and accept a biscuit of his own while James remained beside Lily, impassively surveying the scene.

"This is what you might call our 'social area'." A voice said from behind the duo. Lily and James whirled round, they had forgotten about their former teacher standing quietly behind them. Professor McGonagall gave them a half smile. "Upstairs is where our meetings are held and is our 'base of operations' if you like." She gestured at the couple to move further into the crowded room and manoeuvred them towards a small group of people talking quietly in a corner over some steaming mugs.

"This is Ceradoc Dearbon and Fenwick Bengy," She introduced, the two wizards acknowledged the young couple with a smile and a nod, they both appeared in their twenties and were wearing the uniform of Aurors and looked friendly, if tired. "Then this is Delphias Doge, an old school friend of Professor Dumbledore." Delphias looked at the couple with watery eyes and smiled, offering a hand.

"Pleasure." He shook each of their hands in turn, they murmured an acknowledgement before Professor McGonagall introduced the final group member.

"And this is Edgar Bones." Edgar Bones was a tall man with an aristocratic haughty look. He gave them a nod and regarded them both seriously with grey eyes. Lily felt uncharacteristically shy.

"Pleasure to meet you all." James said politely. The couple were then led to the friendly young woman they had seen talking to Peter. She introduced herself as Alice Longbottom and gave them both a smile and a quick hug and promised to introduce them to her husband as soon as he arrived. Lily couldn't help but warm to the pleasant woman and had a feeling she would soon be making a new friend.

The woman Remus had been spotted talking to turned out to be named Dorcas Meadowes, but her ultra-feminine nature soon put pay to any aspersions about her name. Although small herself Lily couldn't help but feel awkward and gangling next to the delicate features of Dorcas who gave them both a dazzling smile. Remus was obviously smitten, giving them a red-cheeked smile worthy of any 14 year old with a crush.

Once the introductions had been made Professor McGonagall indicated for the group to relax in the kitchen for a few moments before their first official meeting began.

"There would appear to be rather a lot of us today." She informed them, "I have a feeling Professor Dumbledore may wish to take a picture." And with that she gave them another half-smile and left the kitchen to head back upstairs.

The four Marauders plus girlfriend collapsed onto the chairs around the wooden table and exploded into chatter.

"I swear my heart almost stopped when I saw you there with your wand out Sirius." Lily admitted with a grin, danger suddenly seemed very far away. Sirius gave a bark of laughter.

"At least you only had me to worry about!" He grinned, "We walked into old Auror Moody with his wand out shouting questions at us. Wormtail nearly shat himself."

"I did not!" Peter elbowed Sirius in the side indignantly but couldn't stop himself from laughing. "HE was the one who was shaking like a little girl." Remus snorted which earned him the attention of the group.

"I don't know what you're laughing at," Sirius said mischievously, "I saw your face when we walked in, never mind when you first saw _Dorcas_." Lupin suddenly blushed as the group snickered; looking at the table sheepishly he shrugged.

"She's just an intelligent witch!" He protested half-heartedly, "She's interesting to talk to." He half-smiled at the table. Thinking fast Lily quickly caught James' eyes and tried to send him a message with her eyes. He seemed to understand and cleared his throat.

"So, we're finally here!" A lively discussion broke out as the boys debated possible topics for the upcoming meeting. Lily smiled to herself as Lupin's colour returned slowly to normal, much as everyone was used to being teased she had a gut feeling that this was something the young werewolf shouldn't be teased about.

All too soon they were being ushered upstairs. The meeting room had a much more serious feel than the kitchen, the walls were covered in charts detailing the movements of Voldemorts followers and various rotas also adorned the wooden panelling. The room itself was dark with ornate carpet, the windows were blacked out and the room was lit magically.

In one corner Lily could make out Professor Dumbledore having a quiet but intense discussion with a wiry looking man with bright eyes. James elbowed her in the side.

"That's his brother." He murmured in one ear. Lily's eyes widened, she had never imagined Dumbledore with a sibling – or any family come to that. He always seemed to have just sprouted into being within the bowels of Hogwarts. Alice had crossed the room and was greeting a man with a mass of sandy hair with a tender kiss. Sirius and Remus had been accosted by two identical men with a shock of red hair. Lily, James and Peter went over to join them.

"Hello!" One of the men detached and came over to pump their hands. "You must be more of the new recruits." He grinned happily, Lily grinned back, warming to the red-head instantly. "My name's Fabian Prewett," the man continued, "And that lump over there is my brother Gideon." Gideon waved to them cheerfully.

"You're twins." James stated

"That's right!" Fabian confirmed, "I'm the eldest though, Gideon over there is ten minutes younger."

"Luckily I got all the looks!" The twin shot back. Gideon, Remus and Sirius joined the others. "Plus all the girls." Gideon continued with a grin. Fabian shook his head despairingly.

"Ah brother, you are so naive." He regarded the group of youngsters, "So how are you all feeling? Nicely introduced to everyone? Did you pass the Moody test?"

"Constant Vigilance!" The two twins snapped together instantly leaping to attention. Lily couldn't help but laugh. Fabian whirled round as a new witch entered the room and instantly caught her attention.

"Marlene!" He cried effusively bringing her into a hug, "You look more ravishing every day, when are you going to leave that husband and run away with me?"

Marlene was a pretty blonde witch with a mass of freckles and sparkling green eyes. She laughed good humouredly as Fabian dramatically gave her hand a smacking kiss and affectionately gave him a cuff on the back of the head.

"As soon as you're respectable Fabian, you know that, so never." She turned to greet the others. "You guys must all be the new recruits then?" She gave them a smile and shook their hands each in turn. "I'm Marlene McKinnon, ignore everything these two say." Fabian and Gideon instantly looked wounded.

"Who us?"

"Paragons of virtue?"

"Keepers of the truth?"

"Upholders of justice?"

"Yes you," Marlene shot back. She turned her attention back to Lily, James and Peter as the twins went back to showing Sirius and Remus photo's of their various nephews. _"And these two are twins, Fred and George, three months old. Chips off the old block don't you think?"_

"So how are you finding it so far?" Marlene asked kindly, "It's a bit overwhelming the first time isn't it?" The three nodded.

"How long have you been involved?" James asked

"About a year now, officially" Marlene answered, "I began working with Dumbledore and Moody around the time of the first disappearances but I stayed away after I got pregnant with my son." Fishing in the pockets of her robe Marlene produced a photo of a smiling and waving family. "That's my youngest," She said proudly, pointing to a 7 year old boy with sandy hair, brown eyes and freckles, "And that's my daughter there, she's twelve." Her daughter had inherited the same mass of freckles and the green eyes but had darker hair inherited from her tall dark-haired, brown-eyed father who stood behind the children waving happily and blowing kisses at the picture taker.

"You have a beautiful family," Lily told her as Marlene pocketed the picture. Marlene smiled.

"Thank you. Now have you been introduced to everyone?" Before the meeting started Marlene quickly introduced the trio to Frank Longbottom, the man Alice had been greeting earlier, and introduced Dumbledore's brother as Aberforth. The man looked at them warily as they shook his hand in turn and gave off a powerful smell of goats.

As the group began to settle for the first meeting the door suddenly banged open and a large shadow loomed into the room.

"Sorry Professor Dumbledore!" A voice boomed out, "But I had a bit o' trouble with Fang, He got a thorn stuck in his paw." Space in the room suddenly became a premium as the large figure of Rubeus Hagrid squeezed in and attempted to find some room. The Marauders grinned as one as their favourite games keeper made himself comfortable and waved over to him enthusiastically. Hagrid squinted at them from across the room before his face split into a wide grin as he recognised the group. Waving back he simultaneously knocked the hats of Delphias and a squashed looking Fenwick onto the floor.

The room fell silent as Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome." Professor Dumbledore looked weary as he surveyed the group, Alastor Moody sat to his right with Professor McGonagall on his left. "I trust you are all well," He smiled at the small group of new recruits. "Firstly I would like to welcome our latest members, James Potter, Lily Evans, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin." The group sat together on one end of the table with Lily sandwiched between James and Peter. Sirius sat on James' left hand side and Remus on Peter's right. They all looked round and acknowledged the brief applause. "I trust you have been introduced 

to everyone but I will quickly reintroduce everyone to you just in case." He started on his left. "Professor McGonagall you know of course, then we have Edgar Bones and Delphias Doge who are very prominent within the ministry, I trust you know Hagrid from your days at Hogwarts." Hagrid beamed through his bushy beard, "Then we have Fenwick Bengy and Ceradoc Dearbon, both Aurors at the ministry, and Gideon and Fabian Prewett." Fabian who was sat next to Sirius gave him a nudge in the ribs and a week. "Then next to you Mr Lupin we have Dorcas Meadowes, a very formidable fighter." Remus blushed again as Dorcas smiled at him and James and Sirius gaped non-to-subtly at the sight of their werewolf sitting next to a girl. "Then Alice and Frank Longbottom who are also Aurors." Alice smiled and waved at Lily, "Marlene McKinnon, my brother Aberforth and finally Auror Moody." Moody gave them what passed for a gruff smile then stood up.

"Thank you Albus." The Auror placed a battle-scarred hand on the table. "Now I have a few things to discuss today."

The meeting continued. Lily found some parts hard to follow as she attempted to keep up with all the intricacies. A primary function of the order, she soon learned, appeared to be guarding duty, either on known or suspected supporter s of Voldemort or on those deemed to be most at risk from his followers. The group were rapidly split up for duty. Lily was slightly alarmed to find that all five of the small group of friends would be reporting for duty that very week but she swallowed the feeling down and squeezed James' hand reassuringly. Moody finished organising the rotas and sat back down. Dumbledore stood up.

"Our list of known death-eaters is beginning to expand," He said triumphantly, smiling at the group, "Of course it's still difficult and the Imperius curse continues to make our job exceedingly difficult." Dumbledore looked down for a minute and seemed to grow more serious. "Within the past few weeks we have also found evidence to suggest that students recently graduated from Hogwarts have joined Voldemort's followers." Here Dumbledore sighed in disappointment, "In particular Severus Snape is highly suspected."

Lily felt as though ice cold water had been poured down her back and a ringing began in her ears. She had been aware of the rumours and had seen for herself what had happened to the boy she had 

once considered a best friend, but to actually be offered _proof_. She was vaguely aware of James muttering furiously to Sirius on her left hand side but ignored it and focused on Dumbledore as he carried on.

"... so obviously this situation will have to be monitored." Gazing around the group Dumbledore rested his stare on the group of friends and gave them a quick reassuring smile. Sitting down again he passed the meeting to Professor McGonagall who quickly rounded it up and the group quickly found themselves in the midst of a sea of chairs being pushed back and people in the middle of animated conversations.

Lily remained quiet as James, Sirius, Remus and Peter engaged in a lively conversation about all they'd heard. She felt a tap on one shoulder and Marlene was standing behind her smiling encouragingly.

"Don't worry if it's all a bit intimidating now." She said quietly so no-one else would hear as they all noisily made their way downstairs, "You'll get the hang of it all and I can tell you're going to do absolutely brilliantly, especially after you faced him just a few weeks ago. You're tougher than you think Lily Evans." Giving her shoulder a quick squeeze Marlene returned her attention to Auror Moody and began discussing security on the order members' houses. Lily felt the knot in her stomach loosen slightly and even managed to join in with some of the spirited jokes being shared amongst the Marauders.

One morning two weeks later James, Sirius and Lily were sitting in the order kitchen with mugs of tea quietly discussing the week's rotas. James was yawning having just come off a night shift watching the warehouse of a known death-eater who was suspected to be smuggling in dark objects. Frank and Alice Longbottom stood in one corner sharing a plate of toast, Alice shared a quick comment with her husband and he snorted with laughter, showering her with toast crumbs. As she exclaimed indignantly Moody entered the kitchen looking grim and tired. Spotting the couple in the corner he approached them and gently took Alice's arm.

The trio were startled from their conversation as a wail echoed across the kitchen. Springing out of their seats instinctively, one hand going to their wands, they were shocked to see Alice slumping to the floor in a paroxysm of grief. Frank was dragged down as he tried to support his wife and crouched on the floor, holding her to him as tears ran down his face. Alice sobbed uncontrollably, burying her face in her husband's lap she twisted her fists in his robes and shook her head again and again. James, Sirius and Lily stood still in shock as Moody approached them, his face twisted in grief. As their insides twisted in fear all three as one hoped that time would slow and delay the news Moody carried. He stopped before them and took a deep breath before speaking:

"Marlene is dead."

_End of Chapter Four_


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